New type of legless amphibian discovered

Behold! An adult Chikilidae, a new species of legless amphibian and from the caecilian family, with eggs and hatchlings at an undisclosed location in north-eastern India. It's the most primitive of three amphibian groups that also include frogs and salamanders.

The family of burrowing, tailless creatures was identified by scientists working for five years in remote Indian states including Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.

"This is a major hot spot of biological diversity, but one of the least explored," said University of Delhi professor Sathyabhama Das Biju, in an interview with The Associated Press. "We hope this new family will show the importance of funding research in the area. We need to know what we have, so we can know what to save."